Football: Long Beach moves to 2-0 with 31-12 win over Orange Coast

Long Beach City College improved to 2-0 with its 31-12 SCFA Central Division crossover win over Orange Coast College (0-2) on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Sophomore wide receiver Mike Balque hauled in touchdown passes of 72 and eight yards from sophomore quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo. He threw for 196 yards, completing 11 of 14 passes with one interception.

Deondre Lewis sparked the Vikings in the second half. He took the opening kickoff following the break 86 yards fora touchdown to give Long Beach a 28-6 advantage.

Freshman running back Jared Ginter led LBCC's ground attack. He ran for 65 yards on 15 carries, including an 11-yard TD run to open the scoring in the first quarter.

Sophomore David Covey added 23-yard field goal to round out the LBCC scoring.

Freshman linebacker Dionte Hargrove had a good game on defense for the Vikings. He totaled a team-high 11 tackles (7 solo), had 1.5 sacks, and had a fumble recovery and quarterback sack. Freshman defnsive end Deansol Vaeao was also a menace, as he posted four tackles, including 2.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry.

OCC's Jorey Hansen rushed for 35 yards on 13 carries and ran in from two yards out for the Pirates' lone touchdown in the second. Defensive back Wesley Harris closed out Orange Coast's scoring with a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown with 5:16 left in the fourth.

LBCC last started a season 2-0 in 2005. That year, Long Beach went on to an 8-3 record, a Mission Conference American Division title, and a win in the American Bowl over Allan Hancock College.

Long Beach returns to action next Saturday (Sept. 18) when it travels to face rival Cerritos College in a 7 p.m. game in a battle for the Crosstown Cup.